State scan: Has Goa become the go-to party-hopping destination in India?

Goa isn't new to defections. Political analysts say there have been at least 10 major episodes of defections since the state was liberated in the early 1960s

Has Goa become the go-to party-hopping destination in India? From the United Goans Party’s (UGP’s) split in 1966 to former chief minister Digambar Kamat defecting to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with seven other Congress legislators earlier this month, there have been a fair number of episodes of defections in the state.

Just months after the Congress candidates took loyalty pledges before the Assembly election, the party is left with just three MLAs. Those who crossed sides include former leader of the Opposition Michael Lobo; his wife, Delilah Lobo; and Congress loyalists like Aleixo Sequeira, Sankalp Amonkar, and Rodolfo